Test results, a little help please

[dtjoseph95]

Ok I got the k2006 test kit and finally got the pool tested. Here are my results.

Intex 20x52
9,400 gallons
sand filter with Salt generator

pH 7.4
Alk. 90 ppm
Cal.60 ppm
Cyan. Acid just under 30 ppm
Free Chlo. 9 ppm
Combined Chlo. added the drops to turn back to pick and it wouldn't (maybe very faint)
Temp 72*

I think everything is ok except the chlorine. It's in the middle of a boost cycle right now because we have been getting lots of rain but it's really low, I can smell it but not sure what to do to get it up.
Also it's really cold because we get down in the 50s at night, I have a solar blanket and a solar panel on it but we are now trying to add hot water from the tap. Please let me know what you think and what I should do to adjust. Thanks

[BigDave]

Is FC 9? that's not low for CYA < 30. No CC is good.

We don't advise using Boost on a SWCG - The button should be labeled "Kill my salt cell!". I'd use bleach to raise the FC and to shock the pool - 1 gallon of 8.25% bleach will raise your pools FC by 9ppm.

I doubt you'll have much luck raising the pool temp adding hot water from the house. A 50 gallon water heater half full of 130 degree water won't make a dent in 9,400 gallons. I suppose if you spray it on the swimmers?

[dtjoseph95]

Yes the FC is 9 ppm. So your saying my chlorine levels are good? What do I want them to be at?

I'll stop using the boost mode, makes since that it could kill the salt cell. Seems like its working hard for 2 days straight.

We have added several loads of hot water, seems to help some but then the night temps drop it back down. Kind of a pain.

What about the calcium?

[BigDave]

9ppm FC with CYA < 30 is pretty high - it's OK it'll come down quick. Please see http://pool9.net/cl-cya/ (http://pool9.net/cl-cya/), it explains the basis for the pool care method taught here. Also read the other guides on poolsolutions.com and the stickied threads here, especially in the testing and chlorinating forums.

I'd raise CYA a bit more. How did you get stabilizer in there in the first place? Don't test CYA too often as there's only a few tests in the kit.

Calcium is not a problem for vinyl pool unless it gets over 350 or so.

[dtjoseph95]

I've been trying to learn but there is so much. Never owning a pool before it's like learning a new language. I'll read the listed info, thanks.
I put the stabilizer into the sand filter. How much more do you think I should add? Since everything seems to look good I won't test for a little while unless something comes up.

[Watermom]

When did you add the stabilizer and how much did you add?

[BigDave]

How long ago did the stabilizer go in and do you run the pump 24/7? CYA takes a few days to dissolve. The SWCG manual should have a CYA recommendation; we normally recommend a CYA of 50ppm for manually chlorinated pools. A pound of CYA will raise your pool about 13ppm - use that as a guide when adjusting.

Another note: many if not all of the Intex SWCG units have a copper ionizer unit incorporated. I dislike copper (and other metals, "ions", and "minerals") in pool water for a couple reasons, the first is aesthetic and the second is sanitization.
1) Copper can stain pools, fingernails, and blonde / color treated hair green. May not be a problem if you have no susceptible swimmers and don't mind pool stains.
2) Chlorine and copper are effective algaecides - sounds good - maybe not. Sometimes pool owners get a bit behind on testing and chlorination (say a few days of rain) and the pool's chlorine supply can be exhausted. A pool with chlorine as the primary algecide will grow algae and turn green - a reminder that the pool needs attention. A pool with sufficient copper will not grow algae. The trouble is that both pools are unsanitary and sickness and disease can easily pass between swimmers (the first hot, sunny day after the week of rain and all the neighborhood kids are in then pool). Consistent, adequate chlorination alleviates this risk as well as any benefit of copper.
I recommend that Intex SWCG users find a way to safely disable the copper unit. How to do that, I can't say as I've never had one.

[dtjoseph95]

I added the stabilizer a couple weeks ago and I added about 2.4 lbs as thats what the manual showed. I can't remember if I ran the pump for 24 hours but I might have, at least 12.

So why do the SWCG have a copper ionizer in them? I thought maybe the copper is what helps make the chlorine, guess not.

[BigDave]

2.4 lbs stabilizer should have brought your pool to about 30ppm - you may have lost some to dilution with the hot makeup water. Another pound to pound and a half should get you into range. Backwash before putting it in the filter so you won't have to wash it out before it dissolves. Wait a week after adding more to measure it again - no need to waste the CYA reagent.

Copper is an effective algecide. Intex has happy customers because their pools get less green. Intex wants happy customers.

The chlorine is extracted from the salt water between the titamium coated plates of the SWCG section. The copper bars in the ionizer section donate copper into the pool water.